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The European Union
and you

Minds at War 
 

Out in the Dark

 

Kosovo War Poetry

 

 

The European Union and You

by David Roberts
Understand  the EU,
The Constitution,
The Reform Treaty*
and the Arguments

(*Also known as the Treaty of Lisbon.)

Contents

Part One - Crisis of confidence in the European Union

Europe is united - but do its citizens love the EU?

European leaders at the crossroads 2001-2008 and beyond

The Text of The Future of the European Union (The Laeken Declaration)

Part Two - Development of the European Union

How plans for European co-operation and unity developed

The Treaties

Part Three - Nuts and Bolts of the EU system

European Union Institutions

European Union decision-makers

Policies of parties in the European Parliament

Euroterminology and Important Concepts

Part Four - The Constitution’s Ideas

The Constitution - a comprehensive guide to the EU

Key features of the European Constitution

Part Five - The Reform Treaty - The Constitution Repackaged

A new period of uncertainty

How EU leaders responded to objections and demands

Real reform

Citizens' criticisms crushed for the present

Part Six - Major Issues

The 12 biggest problems faced by the EU - outline reviews of:
  1. Democratic deficit
  2. Integration/unification of EU member states
  3. Institutional defectiveness
  4. Lack of transparency
  5. Conflict between those favouring top-down decision-making and the establishment of genuine subsidiarity 
  6. Lack of accountability
  7. Complexity of Constitution/Reform Treaty
  8. Enlargement of the European Union
  9. Privatisation
  10. Developing military force
  11. Powers to be transferred to the EU from member states to the EU
  12. The EU's lack of consistency in complying with its own principles and policies.

Major Issues in greater depth (An examination in detail of over 50 topics - including those above - from "accountability" to "the way ahead").

Part Seven - Alternative Plans for EU Development

Did politicians understand the Constitution and the No vote?

Views of EU citizens, report on debates organised by European Parliament

"The Future of Europe" MPs and MEPs debate the way forward - report

The Europe of Democracies - an alternative constitution

Statement by Trade Unions Against the EU Constitution

Europe Deserves Better - MEPs' alternative constitution

Part Eight - Text of Mandate for the Reform Treaty

Part Nine - Text of the Constitution

Contents of the Constitution

Text of the Constitution (Including Charter of Fundamental Rights)

Selected Protocols

Declaration 12 (which interprets the Charter of Fundamental Rights)

Sources of Information  

Index

 

Major Issues in More Detail

Accessibility/openness/transparency
Accountability
Agriculture - Unsolved problems of the Common Agricultural Policy
Area of Freedom Security and Justice (Law and order) - Legal unification of Member States
Balance of power
Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union is of doubtful value
Clear use of language, and transparency
Climate change
The Commission
Complication
Constitution - Its purposes
Constitution - preparing to write an acceptable Constitution and rescue the EU from crisis
Constitution - re-writing it
Constitution and EU treaties - Official method for revision, normal procedure
Constitution and EU treaties - Official method for revision
Criminal Justice
Culture
Data harvesting - EU's wide-access, all-encompassing identity database
Defence and foreign policy - Independence or integration?
Defence and foreign policy - the uncontrolled use of power
Defence and foreign policy - defence only, or worldwide military action?
Defence and foreign policy - the EU's record
EU's responses to Palestinian and Israeli aggression
Foreign policy issues raised by the EU's relationships with Yugoslavia, Israel and Palestine
Democratic deficit
Euroelite - does it understand or care about democracy?
Employment
Energy and the environment
Enlargement of the EU - good for transnational corporations
Equality
The Euro
European Arrest Warrants
European Central Bank
European Court of Justice
European Union by stealth - Pickpocketing democracy and sovereignty
Europol, the EU's expanding police force
Fedaralism
Finances of the EU - unsolved problems of European Union financial control - Fraud
Fisheries Crisis
Foreign policy
Fraud
Free speech
Free trade, trade liberalisation and the European Union - the key issues
Freedom Security and Justice
Giving our money away
House prices - free movement of capital and people
Identity cards, passports, residence permits
Integration - To integrate or not to integrate
Intellectual property
Languages
Law-making
Localism
Lobbying - The influencing of EU institutions
Media
Micromanagement
Militarisation
Money given away by the EU
Nationalism
Neutrals De-neutralised
Nuclear energy
Nuclear weapons
Patriotism - Economic patriotism
Patriotism - Political patriotism
Politicians
President of the Commission
Propaganda
Public health - EU takeover v subsidiarity
Reform Treaty 2007
Red tape
Restrictive measures
Rigidity
Rule of law
Sanctions
Social security and social protection
Society
Subsidiarity
Tolerance
Transparency
Transport and the environment
Union Minister for Foreign Affairs
Unite and be strong
United States of Europe
Violence, attitude to
Voting
The way ahead
Working time directive

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